I may get some criticism for this but I don't believe Catholicism is an examply Christianity. Sure, if the definition of being Christian is believing in Jesus Christ, then Catholicism would be a Christian denomination. However, I believe that in order to be Christian you must believe that Jesus Christ is the ONE AND ONLY WAY to salvation. That you are a sinner and should be condemned to death but Jesus Christ died for your sins so that you don't have to. By Jesus Christ being the one and only way to salvation it means nothing else you can do matters. You cannot earn your way into heaven by doing good. Technically, you don't have to do any good. However, if you truly do love Christ and are a follower you would want to live your life like Christ, a life that is pleasing to him. I find that many people think they are Christian simply because they go to church and believe in Jesus Christ, I was like that as well. I was in fact raised a Catholic, went to mass every Sunday and was even an altar boy for several years.

Wow!! Thanks for explaining to me how I think and what I know. I can now go on with life!!

By the way, if you're atheist, agnostic, or whatevcer you are, why do you come to, and post on the religion thread? Looking for something? Or does it just bother you that some people are Christians? It's like me going to a Dodge truck forum and telling them how stupid thay are for liking Dodge trucks. I find it fascinating that your posts are all over the religion threads, it really seems like you're searching for something.

My question is this, why is it that liberals, atheists, etc.... always say that people should have an open mind and be able to freely believe anything they want, yet spend all their time trying to cram their own belief system down other people's throats? And tell everyone that doesn't agree withg them that they are ignorant, and not half as intelligent as they are.

As for me, I'm a Christian. I have no doubt in my mind that I'm correct. As you probably have no doubt in your mind that you are correct. All I'm guilty of is claiming my belief in Christ. I've never said you have to believe what I believe, and I've never tried to convert you to being a Christian. All I'm doing, as are other Christians on this board, for the most part, is saying, I'm a Christian and I'm here, if you ever want to learn about my beliefs, feel free to ask.

If you don't believe in what I believe, that's fine. In my opinion, you'll have to answer to a much higher judge than I someday, but that's between you and him, and once again, that's just my opinion. So go be happy and believe what you believe, and if you ever find yourself with questions, please feel free to come to me or any of us on this board and ask. We'll be happy to explain, or help you find answers.

Here's how I see it. I believe when I die, that I will live in eternity in a place far greater than this, and if I didn't accept Jesus, I would live eternity in a place far worse than this. I believe I will live for eternity, it's just up to me to decide whether it will be in a really great place or a really bad place. That's what I believe. You believe that when you die, the lights just go out and nothing happens. Bam, it's all over. So if you're right, when I die, it will just be lights out....I was wrong, who cares. But if I'm right, when you die, you're going to have to live a long time in a really bad place. You may disagree, but I prefer my scenario better. As it stands right now, I get either really good or nothing, and you get either really bad or nothing. If I'm playing poker, I like my hand a little bit better.

But once again, that's just what I believe and I don't expect you to agree, so go have a nice day, and remember if you ever have any questions please feel free to ask.

And to answer a question I saw you had asked somewhere else, no Muslims and Christians are not worshipping the same God.

By the way, if you're atheist, agnostic, or whatevcer you are, why do you come to, and post on the religion thread?

Why wouldn’t I? I am very concerned about the direction this country is going to. On election day, religious people pick a candidate based on religion. That affects me and my family.

I am upset how being religious is perceived as having high moral values! It bothers me that religious activists are knocking on my door offering salvation!
There are a few very involved e90post members who post exclusively on this thread and don’t have a BMW. Is that a crime too?

My question is this, why is it that liberals, atheists, etc.... always say that people should have an open mind and be able to freely believe anything they want, yet spend all their time trying to cram their own belief system down other people's throats?

When was the last time an atheist knocked on your door trying to cram their opinion?
Spend all their time?!?!? Are you kidding me? Being a NON believer is just that. Religious people put this label on us. Am I a NON NFL player as well? A NON golfer? Do I get together with other NON golfers to talk about not playing golf???

As for me, I'm a Christian. I have no doubt in my mind that I'm correct. As you probably have no doubt in your mind that you are correct.

This is where you are totally wrong. I have doubts about many things. That makes me skeptical and a critical thinker. You accept things at face value and have NO doubts. That is where the danger is.

I would be foolish of me to think that I know there is no God!!! There is so much we don’t know. Humans are a very young species. That being said, until there is a physical evidence (physical world is one we live in, BTW), NOT anecdotal hearsay, NOT 2K years old man made book that has been re-written and translated many times, I will assume that there is NO God of any kind.

EXTRAORDINARY CLAIMS, REQUIRE EXTRAORDINARY EVIDENCE

If you don't believe in what I believe, that's fine. In my opinion, you'll have to answer to a much higher judge than I someday, but that's between you and him, and once again, that's just my opinion.

Which judge is that? Buddha? Allah? JC? Zeus?

Here's how I see it. I believe when I die, that I will live in eternity in a place far greater than this, and if I didn't accept Jesus, I would live eternity in a place far worse than this.

Do you have any evidence that you base your belief on? Are 1.5 billion muslims delusional? Jews? Hindu?

You believe that when you die, the lights just go out and nothing happens. Bam, it's all over. So if you're right, when I die, it will just be lights out....I was wrong, who cares. But if I'm right, when you die, you're going to have to live a long time in a really bad place. You may disagree, but I prefer my scenario better. As it stands right now, I get either really good or nothing, and you get either really bad or nothing. If I'm playing poker, I like my hand a little bit better.

This claim is called Pascal’s wager. Here are its major flaws:

1. Isn’t an omnipresent and omni-intelligent God going to see trough your little poker strategy? You are really admitting that there is a possibility that he might NOT exist? That will piss him off and you might not end up in heaven.

2. For your strategy to work, you must worship THE God, NOT A God. Read your first commandment. I assume that you don’t worship Allah, Buddha, Ishvara, Zeus, YHWH, Bhagavan or other thousands of available deities? It not a 50:50 wager between atheism and Christianity.
You could be wrong!
According to islam you are going to burn in hell. Me too. So, you might end up worshipping a wrong deity and end up in hell, just like me. Wouldn’t that be something.

3. If you think about it, you are an atheist like me. I just believe in one less god than you.

I offered two audio series which are an academic study of Christianity and Prophecy. If you're concerned about where this country (and this world) are headed, you should really spend some time on that site. If nothing else you would find it fascinating, and you would have an understanding of the Bible. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. Personally, I've studied about Islam, and New Age beliefs. I won't offer my opinion on them, because I don't want to be offensive to those that might adhere to those religions. It is truly fascinating to compare Biblical Prophecy with Islamic Prophecy....they match up perfectly, yet are completely opposed to each other.

I know you won't believe me, but if you were to study the Bible, specifically the prophetic scriptures, and understood what the Bible says, you would be amazed at how accurate it is. You would look at the headlines of our day in a whole new way.

I actually agree with you about Christians acting like they are morally superior to everyone else. It's terrible. If the truth be known, if I meet someone and all they talk about is what a great Christian they are, and how they go to church every Sunday, it throws up a huge red flag for me. To me, being a Christian is more about your everyday actions than what you say. Do I go to church? yes. Every Sunday? no. Actually, I'm in the process of looking for a new church because I got sick of the holier than thou attitude that I encountered among the members and the Pastor at my old church. I went to a Sunday school class, and they were saying that all homosexuals will burn in hell for their sins. My response was, well if you haven't committed a sin, then go ahead and judge them, but until you have lived their life, you need to butt out. My wife had to keep me from walking out. And I have no gay friends, relatives or anything else.....I just agree with you that the attitude is disturbing. Do I watch TBN, and other religious networks? Not really, I think for the most part they're just making a very nice living. I honestly question a lot of them.

But you make it sound like my parents said, "you're a Christian", and I said, "duh, okay". No, I have taken a lot of time to study it and learn about it. I don't judge it on the people that I know who say they are Christians.

As for the election, I would take Ron Paul over all of them. I just want the government to butt out of my life.

I seriously doubt that you have had a bunch of Methodists or Bapists show up at your door, and try to convert you. Mormons? Probably, but THEY ARE NOT CHRISTIANS! They try to say they are, but their beliefs are completely out of line with Christianity.

My point to all this is, if you have questions go study it, which it sounds like you do. Heck, go study Islam and Budhism for that matter. Decide which you think is right. And if you decide that it's all a bunch of crap, then so be it, just don't belittle those of us that don't agree with you.

I've pointed you to the best site that I know of to learn about Christian beliefs. It is not some whacky guy yelling at you about salvation. The guy that started it was CEO of a few major defense contractors, he made millions, had a few Ferraris and decided that he wanted to just study and learn about religion. He's very level headed, and has gone to great lengths to really understand what he's talking about. Like I said if you want to learn about it, go there. I have no idea what his IQ is, but I have a feeling it's way up there.

Anyway, sorry if I've made you mad in anyway. I might have gotten a little defensive at times, and I wish you all the luck in the world. And if you do have any questions PM me or soemthing. I promise I won't try to "convert" or "save" you, but if you want I can provide some pretty good resources that you can read/watch/listen to that aren't the in your face, holier than thou stuff. Actually the study of religions and cultures can be very interesting whether you buy into them or not.

Everyone who subscribes to a particular religion believes it to be the correct one, by definition. You can provide an infinite number of reasons why it is the 'right one', just like everyone else can, about their religion.

If you find someone that is 'lost', without a religion, you may help that person 'see the light'. However, trying to convince a devout believer of something else is ludicrious, and absolutely offensive.

Saying that your religion is the 'right one' implies that you don't understand why people would choose other religions. If you can grasp this concept, a tenet of religious freedom, it would go a long way toward promoting religious tolerance.

Whether one believes in a religion or not...there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.

Everyone who subscribes to a particular religion believes it to be the correct one, by definition. You can provide an infinite number of reasons why it is the 'right one', just like everyone else can, about their religion.

If you find someone that is 'lost', without a religion, you may help that person 'see the light'. However, trying to convince a devout believer of something else is ludicrious, and absolutely offensive.

Saying that your religion is the 'right one' implies that you don't understand why people would choose other religions. If you can grasp this concept, a tenet of religious freedom, it would go a long way toward promoting religious tolerance.

Whether one believes in a religion or not...there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.

- Dalhi Lama

I would agree with that. I believe that everyone who has a strong religious belief feels that their religion is "the right one". I don't feel you can change their minds, they must change their own minds at some point if it's ever going to change. And it does happen, but not too often.

On the flipside, you guys that have no religion should not tell those of us that do, that we need to wake up and think for ourselves. By doing so, you are trying to force your own belief system on us.